


Friendship

by adafrog



Category: Primeval
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-12-06 04:29:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adafrog/pseuds/adafrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title: Friendship<br/>Author: Adafrog<br/>Fandom: Primeval<br/>Pairings: Nick and Stephen friendship, Stephen/Ryan, Nick/Claudia<br/>Warnings: None, PG, Fluff rudely interrupted by plot.<br/>Summary: Nick and Stephen have been friends for years. <br/>A/N1: For telperion_15 for the Primeval ficathon. This is where the boys took me, so sorry if it’s not exactly what you want. Nick and Stephen really wouldn’t let anyone else in. ;)<br/>A/N2: I’m not usually a Nick/Claudia person, but I wanted Stephen with Ryan, and for Nick to not be alone, so there you go. :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friendship

**Author's Note:**

> Written in 2008.

“Ahem”

Barely keeping hold of the delicate skull he had in his hands, Stephen carefully laid it down, and backed out of the storage closet. He turned around to see a vaguely familiar handsome blond man in jeans and t-shirt.

“Hi. I’m looking for Doctor Cutter,” the handsome intruder said. 

Stephen studied him, trying to place him, but failed. “And you are?”

“Tom Ryan.” He noted Stephen’s continued confusion, and added, “Captain Ryan, from the project.”

Stephen shook his head, feeling stupid. “Sorry.” He pointed to Ryan’s leg, “didn’t recognize you without the…” he rubbed his right thigh.

“Uniform?” Ryan asked, grinning. 

“Yeah, that,” Stephen agreed, blushing slightly. “Nick should be here any minute. He’s in a meeting with our department head, Dr. Rogers.” Giving Ryan a look, he added, “they never last long, you know how he is with authority.”

Ryan nodded, about to make a comment, when Nick stomped in, already ranting.

“…can’t believe I have to go to these infuriatingly useless meetings. Almost as bad as Lest…” he stopped as he noticed someone beside Stephen in the room with him. “Uh, Captain Ryan,” he greeted hesitantly, somewhat confused by his appearance. 

“So why did he want this sudden meeting,” Stephen asked, wanting to hear the answer before it was lost in the whirlwind that was Nick Cutter. 

“Oh, he just wanted to know about grants, or money, or something.” He waved his hand, obviously not impressed with the subject. 

“It’s not grant season yet,” Stephen frowned, glancing at the calendar to be sure he was right. 

“So why’d he ask, then?” Ryan interjected.

“What?” Nick turned to Ryan. “Oh, he saw some of our new equipment on the truck, and wanted to know where it came from.”

“You tell him?” Ryan asked.

“Of course not,” he glared at Ryan. 

“Sorry,” Ryan held his hands up, “security’s my job.”

Nick nodded, somewhat mollified. “So,” he said, changing the subject, “what’s brought you all the way out here, Captain?”

“I was hoping to have a chat with you, Doctor Cutter.” He looked briefly at Stephen, “alone, if I could.”

“No problem,” Stephen replied, grabbing his wallet and keys, “I’ll just go down to the café for a bit.” He looked to Ryan, “let me know when you leave?”

Ryan nodded an affirmative, and Stephen left them alone.

 

Two hours later Stephen walked back into the office.

“That was a long cup of coffee,” Nick said, smirking at a flushing Stephen.

“Sorry,” he apologized, putting down his wallet and keys, and going back to the skull he had put down earlier.

“He’s a good bloke,” Nick suggested, then added, “Captain Ryan,” at Stephen’s blank look.

Stephen smiled, and shook his head. “Claudia’s not so bad, either.” 

“Touché,” Nick grinned.

“At least I have a date,” Stephen boasted.

“That was quick.”

“You’d better hurry if you’re to keep up with me.” Stephen laughed.

“Yes sir,” Nick replied, joining in on the laughter.

After they had both composed themselves, Stephen looked at Nick, “you’ll never guess who he’s related to.”

Nick frowned at the non sequitur.

“His uncle’s the dean.”

“Our dean?”

Stephen just looked at him.

Nick held his hands up. “Just making sure.” 

“He said he was going to ask him about Dr. Rogers.”

“Ryan’s not going to let that go, is he?” 

Stephen shrugged, and they got back to work.

 

The next morning, Nick watched as Stephen drug himself in thirty minutes late, and clutching a large mug of coffee.

“Hard night?” Nick snickered.

Stephen flipped him off, and sunk down into a chair. “Late night. We were at the pub until it closed.”

“Then you two went home?” Nick teased.

“Then I went home. Alone.” Stephen mumbled from behind his coffee cup.

“Oh,” Nick nodded slowly. Then, he held up two folders. “So,” he said, changing the subject, “you want the first year lecture, or the second year lab?”

Nick laughed again as Stephen just groaned. 

 

Several days later Nick and Stephen sat in their office, quietly marking papers. The piles on the desk slowly decreasing as the piles near their chairs rose. Finally finishing his last one, Nick threw his pen down, and sighed. “Yet another semester finally over.”

Stephen finished his last one, and tossed it down. “Thank God,” he said, and tossed his pen to Nick. “I’d rather face an angry Gorgonopsid than mark any more papers.” 

Nick nodded his agreement, and looked at his watch. “Just in time, too.”

Stephen looked up at him, curious. “In time for what?”

Nick smiled, “my date with Claudia.” He waggled his eyebrows. 

Laughing at Nick’s antics, Stephen grabbed his pile of papers, and stood up. “Well, in honor of that momentous occasion, I might just be nice and take these in for you. I know it’ll take you a while to look presentable.”

“Hey,” Nick objected, whacking Stephen’s arm with his pile before handing it to him. “Just for that, you can deal with Dr. Rogers, too.”

“Oh no, is he still after you?” Stephen loaded all the papers onto one arm, and grabbed his coat and keys with the other.

“Yes,” huffed Nick, “and he mentioned something about being at the secretary’s office all afternoon today.” He picked up his coat, and gave Stephen an imploring look. 

Stephen smiled. “Fine, you go ahead, you big baby.” 

“Thanks, Stephen, see you Monday,” Nick smirked, and left.

 

The next Monday Stephen was in early, already working when Nick came in. Noting the smile on his friend’s face, Stephen leaned back against the lab table, and studied him. 

It took Nick a few minutes to realized he was being watched, but finally turned to Stephen. “What?” he asked, trying to frown.

“Nothing,” Stephen answered, crossing his arms, and smirking. 

“Stephen,” Nick warned, glaring.

“You’re in a good mood.”

“So.” Nick countered.

“On a Monday morning.” Stephen parried. 

“Okay fine, it was a wonderful weekend. Happy.” 

Stephen pushed off of the lab bench, and clapped Nick on the shoulder. “Happy,” he agreed, then went back to his fossil. 

After Nick had had a few minutes to settle in, he looked up at a humming Stephen. “And you?”

“Happy.”

 

Later that week, Stephen came back early from a lunch date with Ryan. “I cannot believe he had the nerve to do that,” Stephen complained as he walked into the office, continuing to mutter as he distributed the take-out. 

“Who?” Nick asked, looking from Stephen to Ryan. “And I thought you were eating in the café,” he said as Stephen roughly set down a box in front of him, as well.

“Dr. Rogers,” Stephen growled.

Nicked turned back to Ryan, hoping for more information. 

“Apparently while I was ordering the food, he sat down with Stephen, and tried to have a ‘conversation’ with him,” Ryan supplied. 

“He suggested that telling him about your funding would be in my best interests,” Stephen said, angrily poking at his food with a fork. 

“Excuse me,” Nick asked, hoping he hadn’t heard right. 

“I caught the tail end of it,” Ryan said, lightly squeezing Stephen’s shoulder, then leaving his hand there. “But don’t worry,” he added quickly, cutting off Nick’s pending tirade, “I’m meeting with my uncle this afternoon. We’ll figure out it, so there’s no reason to be concerned.”

“Concerned?!” Nick fumed. “I’m not concerned, I’m furious. That little bastard couldn’t get to me, so he thought he’d have a go at my assistant?”

“Nick,” Stephen yelled, interrupting him before it could go further. Then quieter, “let Ryan handle it, okay? He’s already working on it, and he’s Special Ops, so if the little weasel doesn’t give up he can always…” he drew a line across his throat, and grinned. 

“Hey now,” Ryan protested, relieved the tension had been broken. “I’ll do none of that.” He paused, then, “I’ll have one of the lads do it. Always delegate.” 

The three men laughed, then started in on their food.

 

The next day found them once again eating lunch in the office. This time, however, the mood was much different.

“I can’t believe he made that much trouble over a grant application,” Ryan said, as he finished explaining what he’d discovered. 

“Oh, I can,” Nick disagreed. “It’s a cut-throat business,” he added, waggling his eyebrows as the other two groaned at his joke. 

“And his threat to me?” Stephen asked, still slightly anxious.

“Was actually his very botched attempt at bribing you for information.” Ryan rubbed his back. “You’re safe.”

Stephen gave a falsetto, “my hero,” and fluttered his eyelashes. 

Laughing, Ryan wrapped his arm behind Stephen’s back, dipped him low, and gave him a smacking kiss.

“All right you two,” Nick protested. “Don’t you have work to do?”

Stephen and Ryan looked at each other, both shaking their heads. “Nope.”

“Fine, whatever,” he said, waving them off. “Go, have fun.” 

The boys grabbed their stuff, and headed to the door. Stephen stopped just before he left, and turned. “Nick.”

Nick looked up. “Yeah.” 

“Don’t forget to leave in time for your date.” He winked.

“I won’t Stephen, I won’t.” Nick smiled. “Now go, your man’s waiting.”

Stephen nodded, and left.


End file.
